A long-time assistant coach with ties to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers is the new coach of the Detroit Lions.
Darrell Bevell, who worked in Green Bay for six seasons under Mike Sherman, will be the interim coach in Detroit after the Lions fired Matt Patricia on Saturday, according to Tim Twentyman of the team’s site.
Bevell, 50, was previously the Lions offensive coordinator, a job he held in Detroit for the last two seasons.
Prior to coming to Detroit, Bevell served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks for seven seasons, winning Super Bowl XLVIII.
Patricia was fired as Lions coach after going 13-29-1 over nearly three seasons, including a 4-7 start to 2020.
Bevell has 14 seasons of experience as an offensive coordinator but has never been a head coach at any level.
A four-year starting quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers, Bevell’s first NFL job came as an assistant quarterbacks coach with the Packers in 2002. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach by Sherman in 2003 and remained in Green Bay through the 2005 season.
Bevell worked with Hall of Famer Brett Favre and was the first quarterbacks coach of Aaron Rodgers, then a rookie first-round pick in 2005.
After the Packers hired Mike McCarthy in 2006, Bevell left Green Bay and became the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, where he eventually reunited with Favre for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
The Packers will face Bevell and the Lions later this season. Matt LaFleur’s team will travel to Detroit to play the Lions on Dec. 13.
